Say that a Pope becomes bedridden and so he cannot go out in public and does not have the stamina to perform other duties. Or he begins suffering from Alzheimer's and thus cannot remember that he is the Pope. At that point, the Pope is unable to continue his duties due to physical or mental illness. Assuming that the Pope does not voluntarily resign due to his health (as Pope Benedict XVI did in 2013), would the Pope be removed from office and a new election be called? Or would he still nominally hold the role while others perform the duties of his office?

This question addresses the epistemological challenges of determining whether someone is possessed by demons. Belief in demon possession has to contend with skepticism from those who view it as a myth lacking scientific evidence (see the sources cited in the appendix of [this question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/101703/61679)) . Even among believers in demonic possession, there is often an acknowledgment of the need to rule out alternative natural explanations such as mental illness or fraud. For example, see the article [*As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/01/as-a-psychiatrist-i-diagnose-mental-illness-and-sometimes-demonic-possession/) by Richard Gallagher. However, the Bible does not mention any cases where a mental health professional was consulted to confirm that an allegedly possessed individual was not simply experiencing a mundane psychological disorder. Jesus and the Apostles were able to discern possession directly, presumably using [discernment of spirits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discernment_of_spirits) , without the need for intermediaries to rule out false positives. What is the biblical basis for requiring a psychiatrist to examine an individual before declaring them demon-possessed?

Mental health is an essential component of a person's well-being and, as everything else in life, it is subject to a plethora of potential maladies, some of which are quite difficult to cure even for the best [mental health professionals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health_professional) out there. Wikipedia has a comprehensive [list of mental disorders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mental_disorders) . Some examples include: - Anxiety disorders - Dissociative disorders - Mood disorders - Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders - Neuro-Developmental Disorder - Neuro-Cognitive Disorders - Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders - Paraphilias - Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders - Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders - etc. The secular world has devised different therapeutic techniques and treatments, many rooted in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience research, to heal or at least mitigate to some extent the effects of these mental health issues. A few examples that come to mind: - [Psychotherapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy) - [Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy) - [Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_emotive_behavior_therapy) - [Twelve-step programs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program) (which can be performed in a secular, non-religious way, see e.g. [12 step programs for atheists](https://www.12step.com/articles/12-step-programs-for-atheists)) - [Antidepressants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant) - [Psychedelic therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_therapy) - etc. Of course, no amount of concerted secular human effort can even come close to the supernatural effectiveness of the Holy Spirit, who (or which, for the non-Trinitarians) should be more than capable of restoring a person's mental health instantly, miraculously, even in the face of the most challenging mental disorders for modern science. **Is this, actually, the case?** **Question**: Is there any evidence that people are actually getting healed of very severe mental health disorders in contexts where the Holy Spirit is believed to move more (e.g., in Church services), at a rate significantly higher than in secular settings, even when all the options in terms of secular treatments and therapies have been exhausted and tried? ____ Related C.SE questions: - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/78911/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/80809/50422 - https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/50329/50422 Related Psychology.SE question: - [Can someone be healed from a long-held addiction or compulsive disorder in an instant and without therapy due to a dramatic spiritual experience?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/25058/25376)

I understand that Christian Science believes that a person with a physical disease should not seek out medical treatment, but instead rely on prayer. Wikipedia says that adherents believe > …that disease is a mental error rather than physical disorder, and that the sick should be treated not by medicine, but by a form of prayer that seeks to correct the beliefs responsible for the illusion of ill health. > > The church does not require that Christian Scientists avoid all medical care – adherents use dentists, optometrists, obstetricians, physicians for broken bones, and vaccination when required by law – but maintains that Christian Science prayer is most effective when not combined with medicine. I'm curious to know what Christian Science teaches about mental illnesses (e.g. depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and other mental illnesses recognized by the DSM-5 ). In particular, I'm wondering if mental illnesses are also described as mental errors or if they are something else. Also, what sort of treatment would be permitted? I presume that taking SSRIs and other medication would be strongly discouraged, but is seeking out a counselor permitted?

When believers appeal to their private spiritual experiences to argue for their faith, skeptics typically respond by dismissing their stories entirely, conjecturing that these are more likely cases of hallucinations, some form of mental illness, or just mundane feelings or emotions that are being incorrectly interpreted as spiritual experiences. How do Christians make sure this is not the case? How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from mundane hallucinations, emotions or other psychological phenomena with natural explanations? ____ Related: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86467/50422

In the three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus repeatedly casts out demons , speaks to them , etc. He tells his disciples to do the same. There are so many references it would be difficult to put them all here. This is not a topic that is very frequently mentioned (if at all) in my experience in the modern church (here in the USA at least). But reading the New Testament it cannot be easily glossed over. What is the church's view on demonic possession today, especially in light of modern psychology and drug therapy? Where people possessed by demons in ancient times but not today? Are people with certain types of psychological disorders (or in certain times/cases) actually possessed?

There's this article about narcissists, written from a Christian perspective, ending with claims about how ACONS can honor their nparents . One is: > We honor them by insisting that they get the professional help that they need, before they have anymore contact with us & our family members. **Question: Would the Catholic Church agree with that?** What I tried: Google shows a lot of articles about Catholicism/Christianity and narcissism, but I don't know which ones are (Catholic and) official/officially endorsed. Note: This may extends to abusive parents in general, whether or not they are narcissists. I think it would be a good partial answer to answer in the general case. Maybe it's not really different from the specific case of narcissists, hehe. --- **ETA 1**: Based on the now deleted Mormon answer provided (by JBH, iirc), it seems the answer is likely. (**Update**: See the Mormon answer .) > In general, yes, but the precise actions to be taken during estrangement or steps to be taken to become estranged or, in the first place, whether or not to become estranged must be decided with advice from a religious or mental health professional/s such as priests, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. Or simply > Probably yes, but definitely seek professional advice. My guess then is that this question instead falls under a broader range of questions to which the answer is either of the above. What range of questions could this be? I'm thinking now of some church document or section entitled 'On matters pertaining to mental health, etc' --- **ETA 2**: Guess we're not ready for Catholicism SE (unlike how we've been ready for statistics SE and how we might be ready for operations research SE ) > I'm disappointed that none of our Catholic participants have been able to contribute an answer. Even a link to a Catholic social services organization would have helped.

This question is a nuanced version of my recently asked question https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86124/50422 , this time aiming to address the 'dark side'. A very insightful [answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/86135/50422) to the aforementioned question brought up an important point: > However, **if the spiritual experience is not an hallucination but a demonic trick**, then the person is in deep spiritual trouble and will need help from mature Christians. I know of such instances, but not personally. Christians should know that they are warned in the Bible that a satanic influence can appear as an 'angel of light' (2 Cor.11:14; Gal.1:8; Rev.13:13-14). A Christian's safeguard from that is to utilise the full symbolic 'armour of God' as detailed in Eph.6:10-18. **Question**: What is an overview of how Christians discern genuine instances of demonic influence (ranging from counterfeit spiritual experiences to full-blown demonic possession) from mundane mental health problems? What follows is not mandatory, but a particular case I'd like answerers to think about is that of individuals locked up in psych wards. Is it possible that people locked up in psych wards may actually be suffering from a demonic problem rather than a psychiatric one? If so, would it be possible in principle for people in psych wards to recover their soundness of mind through a process of demonic deliverance carried out by a mature Christian? _________ Related: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/34332/50422

Is there a difference between Catholic and Protestant Theology in regards to what constitutes Demonic possession as opposed to mental illness?

Are there any published testimonies of individuals that were sent to [lunatic asylums](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunatic_asylum) or [psychiatric wards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_hospital) as "lost causes" due to severe mental illness, that eventually converted to Christianity after having their soundness of mind miraculously restored? Or in simpler terms: has ever a lunatic in an insane asylum/psych ward had an unexpected spontaneous recovery that led to their conversion to Christianity?

In Eastern-Orthodoxy, in the medieval times like the Byzantine Empire, Russian Empire. etc. How did the Church and the priest saw people who today we know suffer from mental illness like bipolar, schizophrenia, paranoia, etc.? What this seen as a spiritual problem? Possibly demonic activity or demonic possession? How was it treated?

Did any of the Church Fathers write about what today with modern medicine we know to be mental illnesses?

Same question as [here](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/46565) but Mormon instead of Catholic. --- **Edit**: Okay fine I'll try to make this self-contained. There's this article about narcissists, written from a Christian perspective, ending with claims about how ACONS can honor their nparents . One is: > We honor them by insisting that they get the professional help that they need, before they have anymore contact with us & our family members. Would the LDS/Mormon Church agree with that? Google (probably) shows a lot of articles about LDS/Mormon Church and narcissism, but I didn't bother to check because I already checked for Catholicism and narcissism, and someone in the other question has an answer for the LDS/Mormon Church. More context: Based on the deleted Mormon answer provided (by JBH, iirc) [in the other post](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/46565) , it seems the answer is likely > In general, yes, but the precise actions to be taken during estrangement (**EDIT**: the estrangement is not necessarily permanently/forever) or steps to be taken to become estranged or, in the first place, whether or not to become estranged must be decided with advice from a religious or mental health professional/s such as priests, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. Or simply > Probably yes, but definitely seek professional advice. My guess then is that this question instead falls under a broader range of questions to which the answer is either of the above. What range of questions could this be? I'm thinking now of some church document or section entitled 'On matters pertaining to mental health, etc'

If a person is mentally ill but his mental illness is controlled by medication and he feels God is and was calling him earnestly for the last forty years of his life to become a priest, can he become a Catholic Diocesan priest? Will his mental illness be a barrier between him and his priesthood?

Do Baptists believe someone with multiple personalities has multiple souls? What if someone has two personalities, like the [dissociative identity disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder) and one has accepted Jesus as their Savior, and the other has not? Would these be two souls judged independently, one going to Heaven, and the other to Hell? The movie “Jonathan” though it is fiction, really got me thinking about this. Note: I edited the question to make it clear I am asking about the real disorder vs. the movie.

I have heard some Christians say that mental illness is the result of sin. On what grounds, Biblical or otherwise, do they make this claim?

Mental illness is a fairly recent idea (in terms of human history). As far as I know, the concept did not exist at all at the time the Bible was written. I have heard some Christians speculate that some of the instances of demon possession recorded in the Bible may have been cases of schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. For example (many others exist): [Matthew 8:16-17](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%208:16-17&version=ASV) : > **16** And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick: > > **17** that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. Is it possible that some/all "demon possessions" in the Bible were simply cases of curing mental illnesses? If the answer is "some," can we know the difference, and if so how?

Please bear with me while I explain the background before I get to my questions. I suffer from [OCD](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive–compulsive_disorder) (I also have a severe anxiety disorder, which may be relevant here). About my OCD: I am compelled to do certain things a certain number of times. Chief among them is I must knock upon wood after which I repeat a certain and very specific phrase which summarizes to something about keeping my family safe from harm (because of my anxiety disorder, my family's well-being is something I'm always *irrationally* worried about). I grew up and was schooled Catholic. However, I have since drifted from my original faith and now consider myself an atheist. I don't believe in a higher power. However, I also do not know why I have to do the things I do a certain number of times and am struggling to learn why. This "ritual" I perform seems very similar to that which my late grandmother performed with her rosary and her daily prayers. My questions are thus: Are my compelled OCD actions considered prayer? Have I (unconsciously) substituted the wood I must knock on for a rosary of sorts. On the opposite side of the coin: can my grandmother's behavior have been considered a form of OCD that she just wasn't aware of?

Some people with mental illness might do lots of things that are unpredictable and considered sin, up to killing themselves, or possibly forget anything about Jesus and salvation. So, what does the Bible say about them as in will they still be saved?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > [What does the Bible say about people with mental illness?](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/4521/what-does-the-bible-say-about-people-with-mental-illness) Have a friend in Christ who is black/white; all are responsible for their actions all the time. "Mental illness" is a modern construct that is not Biblical. Saul, etc. suffered due to their sin. Suspect her point confuses the "I'm sad, need some excitement so I'll shoot somebody" with "I don't want to live anymore 'cause everyone hates me." If a schizophrenic purposely quits taking meds and then hurts someone--yeah I think they're culpable. If they hurt someone before they're diagnosed, then I don't think they should be held criminally liable. Depression, for me, is a bit trickier. Crux (IMHO): Does the Bible support idea that some mental illness is NOT sin and is there a circumstance when a person is not responsible for their actions (outside of knowlingly creating an altered state of being i.e. drunk, taking drugs, etc.)?